1984 Jaguar Xjs Base Coupe 2-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

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40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.

Watch the Jaguar F-Pace set a Guinness World Record for looping

On a chilly gray night in Germany, Jaguar officially leapt into the crossover segment. But it also reminded everyone its brand of grocery-getter will be anything but conventional. The 2017 F-Pace, which will launch next spring in the United States, debuted Monday evening at a glitzy event before the Frankfurt Motor Show. Rather than simply tear the cover off the car (you can watch that below), Jaguar sent a specially-prepped F-Pace blasting up a 63-foot-tall loop, setting a Guinness World Record in the process. Driven by British stunt driver Terry Grant, Jaguar said the F-Pace stood up against 6.5 Gs of gravity during the display. The stunt was meant to illustrate the F-Pace's poise, agility, and athletic nature. In fact, Jaguar is calling the vehicle the "ultimate practical sports car," instead of dwelling on the fact it's an SUV. Based on Jaguar's lightweight aluminum architecture, the F-Pace will arrive in America next year with two V6 engines rated at 340 horsepower or 380 hp. A new 2.0-liter diesel engine will join the lineup next fall, and serve as the entry-level model. It starts at $41,985. Related Video:

Jaguar-Land Rover will use recycled waste to make parts for future models

Jaguar-Land Rover's future models will be partially made of junk. The company announced it's working on integrating a recycled material named Econyl into its manufacturing process in the coming years. Created in 2011 by Italy-based Aquafil, Econyl is a fiber made with a blend of recycled industrial plastics, fabric offcuts sourced from clothing manufacturers, and discarded fishing nets aimlessly floating around the ocean. It's more eco-friendly to produce than oil-based fibers, according to Jaguar, and it helps clean up the planet. Jaguar and Land Rover will use Econyl to make floor mats in the not-too-distant future. Neither company listed the models they'll put the material in, but it's reasonable to assume recycled floor mats will be available in the next-generation XJ, which will be electric, and the next-generation Range Rover. Both will be released in 2021. Eco-friendly materials are slowly but surely spreading across the luxury car segment. Jaguar already offers the I-Pace with a Kvadrat upholstery that combines regular wool and up to 53 recycled plastic bottles per car. Audi's fourth-generation A3 is optionally available with an upholstery made largely using recycled plastic bottles, and Volvo estimates at least 25% of the plastics in its cars will be recycled starting in 2025. Environmentalist organizations are putting an increasing amount of pressure on carmakers to deliver so-called vegan interiors. A group called EarthSight recently accused several companies (including Jaguar-Land Rover and BMW) of using leather from cattle raised on illegally logged lands in Paraguay. Representatives for the British company stressed they found no evidence to verify EarthSight's claims. Related Video: